Jay Evensen
  • Front Page
  • Opinions
  • Second Thoughts
  • Portfolio
  • Awards
  • About

Cope with the West's drought using market solutions

3/17/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Take a quick look out the window. Is it raining?

I thought so.

Nothing snaps our attention to all those dire predictions about a long-term drought in the West quite like a winter without snow, followed by an early spring without rain. Well, there was that nice little snowstorm on Christmas. It’s as if the heavens listened to Utahns who are fond of saying, “I hate 
snow, except at Christmas,” or, “I’d like it if the snow stayed in the mountains and it just rained down here,” and took them seriously.

Except, of course, it really didn’t snow much in the mountains or rain much down here. When the state’s water managers began meeting this week in St. George to talk about conditions, the snowpack statewide was at about 65 percent of what it ought to be, and reservoirs were at about 63 percent.

Which means that, unless things change in a hurry, we’re going to have to take some drastic action.

If so, may I suggest the folks in charge look at market-driven strategies for water conservation?

I know everyone ignored me when I suggested this for highway funding. It would be better for the state’s transportation needs if it reduced gas taxes and imposed variable tolls on highways, I said, more than once.

I didn’t just suggest it. I referred to reputable studies that found it would be fairer and better for the environment than the current system. And, to be fair, you didn’t just ignore me. I read all the emails.

But the Legislature stuck with a gas tax hike anyway, despite knowing it won’t collect enough money for highway needs as cars become more fuel-efficient and people keep buying hybrids. Good luck with that.

But when it comes to water, if we’re not careful we run the risk of becoming like California, where some local governments have decided to sic people on each other. It’s called drought shaming. All you have to do is read the first sentence of an Orange County Register story last August to see how that’s going.

“The water ninjas are prowling the streets,” the story begins. “Mocking. Undercover. Often anonymous. They are watching you, snapping pictures of your wastefulness with their cellphones …”

Then they post this on Twitter, Facebook or some other public place, along with something clever like, “Congratulations for watering the pavement,” as the Register reported.

The irony is, California water districts don’t look at Twitter. They want people to report neighbors to them. But even that is an awful idea that could, as an L.A. Times opinion piece by Kerry Cavanaugh said, lead to “neighborhood feuds.”

She also noted how unfair this practice is. Some people could water the asphalt all day and never hear a complaint, while others with meddlesome neighbors could get a citation every time they spilled a drop from a water bottle.

Last year, in the face of a drought, the state of Utah decided all users who access the Virgin River with water rights obtained after 1900 would have to stop irrigating.

That was an arbitrary decision. Supply and demand is more effective.

But before Utah gets to market-driven water conservation, it has to change how water districts are funded. Right now, a lot of them receive a good deal of money from property taxes. I’m not the first to suggest that this should go the way of the Water Wiggle. The first step is to make sure users pay the true cost of water, which is a lot more than what people currently pay.

The next step is to revamp what already is happening in many areas — make the rates rise along with the amount of water customers use. Try this — charge people less for drinking and showering than for watering their lawns, then give people smartphone apps that alert them when they’re nearing a cutoff for higher rates.

The West’s water challenges go beyond the need for conservation. A lot of dams need to be upgraded and protected against earthquakes, for instance.

But if we want to make sure everyone has something to drink before storm clouds come again, make conservation something people can’t afford not to do.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Search this site


    Like what you read here?

      Please subscribe below, and we'll let you know when there is a new opinion.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture

    The author

    Jay Evensen is the Senior Editorial Columnist of the Deseret News. He has nearly 40 years experience as a reporter, editor and editorial writer in Oklahoma, New York City, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He also has been an adjunct journalism professor at Brigham Young and Weber State universities.

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All
    Campaign 2012
    Congress
    Crime
    Culture
    Iran
    Oil And Gas
    Poverty
    Steroids
    Taxes
    Utah
    Washington
    World Events
    World Events

    Links

    Deseret News
    Newslink
    Marianne Evensen's blog

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.